Whatever lies ahead, receivers Nathan Lupien and Benjamin Rodrique from Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu are ready to face it together as teammates on the Bishop’s Gaiters.

Nathan Lupien

By Nat Martin.

For Nathan Lupien, a commitment to Bishop’s just felt right. “It was the perfect fit for me. The training facility really blew me away. (I also) loved the coaching mentality of Head Coach Cherif Nicolas and I wanted to be an instant difference maker for this team and to go on and win a lot of football games this year and the years after,” Lupien said.

Speaking of winning, Lupien added that Nicolas has “a great mentality to win games and a lot of experience in winning games and this whole mentality is the same for every coach, so I loved the fact that it is a winning mentality.”

Lupien is finishing up his third season with Les Géants de Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (RSEQ Division 1). Prior to joining Les Géants, he played with Les Wildcats de Laurentides-Lanaudière from mosquito to midget. The 6’3, 200lbs wide receiver and slotback will be majoring in accounting.

Lupien will be leaving his home of Saint-Jérôme, Québec, to join the Gaiters, and he is ready for what lies ahead. He said, “We will build something special at Bishop’s in the coming years, believe that!”

From the campus to the school itself, Benjamin Rodrique is enchanted by all things Bishop’s. He said that he really appreciated the beauty of the campus and that he liked the region. He added that he feels there is a big potential to develop by attending Bishop’s.

“There’s a lot of history behind that university,” Rodrique said. “My high school coach, Ross Lemke, even played for the Gaiters a long time ago. But, despite these circumstances, I felt that I had my place in this school.”

When it comes to the coaches, Rodrique said he would be lying if he said he didn’t like the coaching staff. “Cherif’s attitude and perspective is exceptional. I have a great respect for what he has done,” he said. “Then, I felt appreciated and (that I) had a chance to do great things for the Gaiters program.”

Standing at 6’1, 205lbs, Rodrique will be studying education. He will also be taking mathematics.

A fellow Géant, Rodrique, who is from Chambly, Québec, won a Division 2 Bol d’Or in his rookie season back in 2015. “I would like to mention that during my four years, I won much more than honours. I was lucky to be coached by one of, if it is not the best, coaching staffs of the collegial circuit in Québec,” he said about his time at Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

He added that he was lucky enough to play alongside leaders and exceptional players. “This chance is not given to everybody and I am very grateful,” he added. “But, for a little boy who did not have a lot of experience in the environment of football, I find that incredible. It allowed me to develop as a player, as a person, but also to create particularly strong links with my teammates.”

With an appreciation of his past, Rodrique is also looking at what lies ahead. He said, “I am very excited about my future at Bishop’s University.”

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